Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 2.C
Meeting Date: May 13, 2026
From: John A. Corella, Director of Public Works
Title: Presentation to Introduce the Local Roadway Safety Plan RECOMMENDATION:
The Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) is presented to the City Council for information, discussion, and direction.
BACKGROUND:
A Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) provides a structured, data-driven framework to identify, analyze, and prioritize roadway safety improvements on local streets. While California’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) establishes statewide goals to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries, LRSPs allow local agencies to address the specific safety needs of their communities while supporting the broader SHSP vision.
The City of Cathedral City adopted its current LRSP in June 2021. In accordance with California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) requirements, LRSPs must be updated and revalidated at least every five (5) years to maintain eligibility for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding. The city has successfully secured approximately $9 million in HSIP funding across Cycles 8 through 12, underscoring the importance of maintaining a current and compliant LRSP.
On January 14, 2026, the City Council approved a professional services agreement with Iteris, Inc. to update and revalidate the city’s LRSP.
At today’s Study Session, Iteris, Inc. will present the draft LRSP to the City Council to provide an overview of key findings and recommended safety improvements. The presentation will highlight priority corridors and intersections identified through analysis of the most recent five years of collision data, along with proposed strategies and projects. City Council feedback will help inform the final LRSP and guide future roadway safety investments.
DISCUSSION:
The LRSP analyzed five (5) years of collision data from 2020 through 2024 and identified a total of 464 injury collisions resulting in 824 injuries, including 30 fatalities and 59 serious injuries. Collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 12 percent of injury collisions but represented 36 percent of fatalities, highlighting the need to prioritize improvements for vulnerable roadway users.
The LRSP development included a review of ten (10) years of collision data (2015–2024), along with stakeholder coordination (including police, fire, public works, tribe, and the school district) and field assessments, to identify high-risk corridors and intersections. Findings indicate that most collisions occur at or near intersections, with common contributing factors including unsafe speed, impaired driving, right-of-way violations, and improper turning movements. Among these factors, impaired driving accounted for 24 percent of all collisions and 55 percent of fatal collisions.
Based on these findings, the LRSP recommends a range of countermeasures, including signal timing modifications, enhanced pedestrian crossings, speed management treatments, and targeted intersection improvements. The plan identifies 17 priority intersection locations, along with corridor-level improvements, supported by benefit-cost analysis to evaluate effectiveness and competitiveness for grant funding.
The priority locations were identified and prioritized based on a combination of factors, including collision history, severity (fatal and severe injury collisions), primary contributing factors, and the anticipated effectiveness of proposed countermeasures.
The following 17 intersections were identified as priority locations through the LRSP analysis process.
Cathedral Canyon Drive and East Palm Canyon Drive
Ramon Road and Whispering Palms Trail
Ramon Road and Crossley Road
Date Palm Drive and Victoria Drive
Cathedral Canyon Drive and 33rd Avenue
Date Palm Drive and 35th Avenue
Date Palm Drive and Tachevah Drive
Ramon Road and Avenida Maravilla/Cathedral Canyon Drive Vista Chino and Landau Boulevard
Date Palm Drive and Vista Chino
Ramon Road and Date Palm Drive
East Palm Canyon Drive and Perez Road
Ramon Road and Desert Vista Road
Mountain View Road and Varner Road
Date Palm Drive and McCallum Way
San Luis Rey Drive and Mission Drive
Santoro Drive and Cypress Road
Detailed analyses of these locations are included in the LRSP attached to this staff report.
From these locations, three (3) priority projects were identified for implementation and future grant funding opportunities, such as HSIP and the Active Transportation Program (ATP). A summary of the proposed priority projects is provided below:
1. Intersection Site Line, Protected Phasing, and Median Revision Improvements at Eight Intersections
This project would implement targeted upgrades, including protected turn phases, enhanced pedestrian intervals, improved sight distance and lighting, and, where appropriate, conversion to all-way stop control. Improvements may also include median modifications, turn movements restrictions, and additional safety features such as flashing beacons, speed warning signs, and guardrails to reduce conflicts and improve conditions for all roadway users.
The LRSP identifies the following eight intersections for the above-mentioned improvements:
i. Cathedral Canyon Drive and East Palm Canyon Drive
ii. Date Palm Drive and Victoria Drive
iii. Cathedral Canyon Drive and 33rd Avenue
iv. Vista Chino and Landau Boulevard
v. East Palm Canyon Drive and Perez Road
vi. Mountain View Road and Varner Road
vii. Date Palm Drive and McCallum Way
viii. San Luis Rey Drive and Mission Drive
2. Date Palm Drive Safety Improvements
This project would add new traffic signals at Date Palm Drive and 35th Avenue and Date Palm Drive and Tachevah Drive, including protected left-turn phasing, new crosswalks, and enhanced corridor lighting. Additional improvements at Date Palm Drive and Vista Chino would include signal timing refinements, improved turning movements, and introduce speed warning measures to improve conditions for roadway users along the corridor.
3. Ramon Road Safety Improvements
This project would enhance corridor operations through signal timing updates, including leading pedestrian intervals, and targeted visibility improvements. Additional measures may include parking restrictions, dynamic speed feedback signs, upgraded striping, and could include the addition of protected (Class IV) bicycle lanes to improve conditions for all roadway users.
The draft LRSP, attached to this report, includes additional details regarding project locations, planning-level cost estimates, and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) analysis using the most recent HSIP analyzer.
Overall, the LRSP establishes a data-driven framework to guide roadway safety improvements at high-risk locations throughout the city and supports continued eligibility and competitiveness for future funding opportunities, including HSIP, ATP, and SS4A implementation grants.
The presentation by Engineering staff and Iteris at today’s Study Session will provide an overview of the LRSP and solicit City Council feedback and direction.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with the adoption of the updated LRSP, as this item is for informational purposes only. Adoption of the LRSP is necessary to maintain eligibility for federal and state grant programs and supports the city’s ability to secure external funding for the design and construction of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) safety projects identified in the plan.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal B- Community Investment
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed, and maintained.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft Local Roadway Safety Plan